Viva the Underdog

A couple of nights ago I re-watched "The King of Kong" with some friends. I initially reviewed it a few months ago after borrowing a copy from my buddy Breto, and I'm happy to say the film is just as astounding the second time you watch it as it is for the first go-around.

For those who haven't had the chance to see this film, it chronicles the efforts of an outsider (IE, "non-gamer") to claim the all-time high score in Donkey Kong. As the documentary begins, the standing record has been in place since 1982, and the holder has largely based his identity on whatever ensuing status resulted. As the film unfolds, we get an unflinching glimpse into a world as pathetic as what Crocodile Dundee might describe as "two fleas arguing over who owns the dog they live on." It was seriously one of my favorite movies last year.

But this time I noticed something different. I realized that "King of Kong" does something I can't say I've ever seen in any other film, at least to this degree. On most every occasion, filmmakers will make a conscious effort to put nerdy characters in the role of the underdog. Whether they win in the end or not is irrelevant; generally speaking, the nerd role is considered the good guy.

Now, there are situations, especially in recent years, where the bad guys are super-computer geeks bent on destroying civilization and getting rich, but these roles often demonstrate many of the tough guy characteristics of the traditional heavy.

But in "King of Kong", the heavy is uber-dork Billy Mitchell and a whole legion of nerd underlings. These are not tough guys by any stretch of the imagination. Few if any have been notably successful in "real life", at least in terms that the general public would admire. One fellow is a lawyer, and Billy has a line of hot sauce, but generally speaking the field of competitive gamers are portrayed as standard-issue geeks. And they are the bad guys.

On the other hand, Steve Wiebe, in most cases, would be looked at as the guy who was getting his just desserts in life. He was a jock in high school who didn't quite cut it, and has struggled to find his footing ever since, finally settling into a job teaching science at a junior high. From the nerd point of view, that is exactly what the ex-high school jock would deserve, if getting hit by lightning wasn't an option.

On paper, the notion of a married ex-jock intruding on the world of the uber-nerd to claim any kind of title would instantly lead you to side with the poor schmuck who still thinks he's going to impress girls with his superior "Centipede" chops. Yet it is almost impossible to watch this film without siding (rightly, I believe) with Wiebe. And I generally consider myself a nerd.

Just makes you think...